MH lighting vs. PC?Need help

[megatron_55]

Hey guys . . quick question . . I really need help on this one. Now I have a 27 gallon (long) reef tank about . . . 12-13 inches deep. I am currently running it under coralife 2 - 96 watt PC (192 watts = 1-96watt actinic 1-96 watt 10000k). I really really want to be able to keep colorful acroporas and blue maxima's. Now i'm thinking of getting the coralife pro (includes 1 - 150watt MH + 2-55 watt actinic PC) now is that too much light? would heat be a factor? Should I keep the PC's or switch to halide's??? HELP!!! Any info would be appreciated

[Invigor]

being an aqualight i'm sure it comes with those mountable legs which put it about 3" above the water..but in a 27 that still might be too close.

what you could do if you're a handyman is do a DIY MH canopy with a 150w hqi or something and make it a tall canopy with fans, then you should be ok. if you get say a 14000k MH bulb you won't need actinc pcs, thus reducing more heat.

and with your pcs you currently have you have 6.8watts/gal which is quite a bit, and since your tank is only 12-13" high, the pcs should still be able to penetrate good enough for acros. someone else will have to say about the maxima, but I don't know much about them other than they need hella light.

[StirCrazy]

a 150 watt MH will work good on there. I don't know what the concern about 3" off the water is as I have never seen those but I assume they have a splash shield which would make that distance no problem.

the PAR value of a 96 watt MH is no where near that of a normal 175 watt MH so a 150 MH will definitely allow you to keep more and get better results.

Steve

[Invigor]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

I don't know what the concern about 3" off the water is as I have never seen those but I assume they have a splash shield which would make that distance no problem.

more room for heat dissipation

[megatron_55]

So should I stick with my PC's for now?? I know as a fact that I can keep acroporas in my tank. . My main question is . . is there enough light provided in order for acro's to keep its colors??? (7.2 watt's per gallon PC's) Anyone have PC's and able to keep colorful acro's??? LMK! Also, does anyone know where I could get a canopy which holds halides and includes fans?? Still need help =( What would you guys reccomend??? Thanks a million

[Invigor]

find someone to make one for you

then it'll be exactly what you want. canopies are easy to make and mh supplies are easy to come by

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Invigor

more room for heat dissipation

it is going to be a open top. not a issue.

Steve

[AJ_77]

Another option: Get the hanging kit for the Aqualight pro and suspend it at a height that will give you enough spread from the single 150 MH. If it sits at only 3" up you may not get light to the sides of your long 27gal.

A hanging MH canopy is a beautiful thing.
What are the tank dimensions?